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Introduction to Linux - A Hands on Guide

This guide was created as an overview of the Linux Operating System, geared toward new users as an exploration tour and getting started guide, with exercises at the end of each chapter.
For more advanced trainees it can be a desktop reference, and a collection of the base knowledge needed to proceed with system and network administration. This book contains many real life examples derived from the author's experience as a Linux system and network administrator, trainer and consultant. They hope these examples will help you to get a better understanding of the Linux system and that you feel encouraged to try out things on your own.

About the root password, it is great news you cannot remimber it.
This is best that way: it means you are applying good security practices.
Some experts say a strong password on a piece of paper, safely in your wallet or wherever, is better than a weak password.

No, you will not be impaired by not having the root password to install a new
linux distro over the hold one.
If you are interested look for password recovery in LQ; you can change root password.
Try as well to start in single user mode (type single at the very beginning when you have a prompt before the PC boots). Anyway you need to google this/ If you are going to wipe RH3 then maybe forget about root password recovery for now?
Without root password, quite a lots of think you cannot do.

I am surprised you managed to disable services without being root.
Maybe you have very high privileges.
Anybody any thoughts on this?

Yes, swap is good.
If you cannot be root, forget for now about fdisk -l, it was to know the hard drive size and the swap size.
I would say now this is a lower priority (but you can keep it on a to do list / learning log or whatever)

I agree with previous comments; any distro will do in a sense, try one, try another until happy.
Ubuntu 5.04 needs only 64 mb, worth trying, modern, good hardware detection
Vector linux, heard only good things (I guess no problem at all with 64 mb)
Mandriva limited edition 2005 does come with a light weight desktop manager (xfce I think).
In short any distro with a light weight desktop manager will probably do

As other said, buy some more 64 mb, if you can find it for 5-10$ (no idea of price, set a low budget, no more,
it is obsolete memory, might be "rare", but it nevertheless not worth much in my opinion).
It will make a difference. Count the no of pin or remove memory and see with local computer shop
(watch out for static electricity, + use static bag if possible)

Processor speed: You are ok you can run linux with that (light weight desktop needed)
Hard drive: You are fine but refrain from installing everything.
You could maybe maybe even make a spare partition to leave room to install a 2d distro to test,
once you wipe RH3 (maybe I am pushing a bit here. Lets start with 1 distro, but you know you could
even have 2). Be sure to have a separate partition for your /home folder when you install the next distro,
and go for ext3 filesystem.

In that diary, write down everything that you did. A loose-leaf notebook works fine where you can print-out any lengthy stuff and three-hole punch it.

Also in that diary, write down any questions that you have. Doing this in pencil helps slow-down your thoughts. Once you have recorded the question, you no longer have to worry about losing it. Leave space to write down the answer when you find it.

When you are approaching a system for the first time, you can quickly become overwhelmed by all of the new, unanswered questions that you are exposed to. A diary enables you to capture them, to serialize them, and to thus choose when you want to explore any particular avenue.

You are "trying to learn about the forest from ground-level." It's easy to get lost among the trees. A methodical approach to learning this new stuff will help you.

I got my Ubuntu CD's in the mail. Hoowee! It installed itself without any pain on my part. I also found that it recognizes my USB key, which is good news since I'm still not connected to the internet. At least I can grab things I need on my m$ box and then carry them down to my new linux box.

I've also noticed that while things are slow, they are not nearly as slow as they had been when I ran Red Hat. I can open applications and try them out. Now, of course, to the library!

One question I have is about screen resolution. I feel like the applications I've tried out should be running at higher than 640X480, but that's the only resolution I have available. I found a menu option that brings up a dialog, but the pulldown menu doesn't list any other resolution than the current one...Same with refresh rate (60Hz). I know I used to be able to get at least 800X600. Is this a driver issue?

Anyway, I mostly wanted to say thanks to everyone who helped out and cheered me on...I'm on my way!

Good to see you are back. What menu was that? I am not sure where the menu is in ubuntu for the video.
Using menus would be the best way to reconfigure the video.
Keep looking it should have some other driver to choose from.

By hand, in a terminal, usually as root, you can use
dmesg | less
and look if you can find anything about the video
cat /var/log/xorg.0.log | less same as above
you might have a configuration tool you can start with
xorgcfg
xorgconfig

more adventurous edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf
man xorg.conf for more info

And if you want any help people will want to know waht video card you have
lspci -v | grep -i vga (for example)
or just do lspci -v and paste the relevant bit